Embrace the deliciousness of this salad, and let your taste buds do the happy dance! I know this can often be the case in the professional cooking industry. There are many who are more excited about the main course; meat & sauce production, but not me. I love salads. Salad doesn’t have to have a big leafy base, but it can. It also can be sweet, savoury, sour, salty, and bitter all at the same time. I love mixing citrus fruits and beets, and in the salad recipe I am sharing with you today, we are playing with peppery flavours from our greens, some tartness from our raspberry vinaigrette, a little crunch from the sunflower seeds, and a richness from the gorgonzola cheese.
This can be made into a meal with some grilled chicken, salmon or pork tenderloin. Serves 4-6
For the Vinaigrette
- 6 Tbsp raspberry vinegar
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
- 1 cup good quality olive oil (or oil of your preference)
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
For the Salad
- 4-6 cups of your favourite greens (peppery greens like arugula or watercress make a nice addition)
- 1-pint fresh raspberries
- 1 peach, pitted, sliced
- 1 apple, julienne (fine matchsticks)
- 1 cup sliced green grapes
- ½ cup (or more to your taste) Gorgonzola cheese
- ¼ of a bunch chives, chopped into ¼” lengths
- ½ cup toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds
Make the Vinaigrette
Blend all the ingredients, except for the chia seeds using a stick blender for 20 seconds. Stir in chia seeds and store the dressing in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Have extra raspberries? Make this Raspberry Fruit Leather or try a Raspberry-Rose Gin Flip, a berry-licious cocktail you can make in minutes.
Make the Salad
Assemble the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl with vinaigrette on the side, or pour some of the dressing into a large serving bowl with all the salad components. Bring additional dressing to the table for diners to add more to taste.
